Perfect Day
by silvershadeus
Summary: Yohji's Drunk, and Omi finds him...(complete)
1. Default Chapter

All I can say is that I've had Wieß Kreuz on my mind for the past couple of days, and this song makes me think of Yohji. There's really not much else to it...other than that, and the fact that I haven't been getting much sleep lately because of finals...>_  
  
  
silvershadeus  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I own neither Weiß Kreuz or the song 'Perfect Day' by Roxette - I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
  
Feedback, onegai! ^_^  
  
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Author: silvershadeus  
Email: silvershadeus@yahoo.com  
Title: Perfect Day - Part 1  
Type: Series [1/?]  
Teaser: Yohji's drunk, and Omi finds him...   
Rating: G...for now...>_  
Spoilers: none, really...  
Warning: Possible shounen ai later on  
Keywords: Drunken Yohji, Omi...  
  
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**Perfect Day - Part 1**  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I say a prayer now  
Your love's departed  
That you'll come back to stay.  
Bring back the perfect day.  
  
Roxette - _Perfect Day_ -   
  
  
  
It was disheartening, he thought, to realize just how much he'd lost in his life. Even more so, considering that he hadn't started out with very much to begin with.  
  
Oh, not the mundane, material things like clothes or the like - _those_ - he had an abundance of. It was the other, more...personal things that he'd lost.   
  
Things like love and self-respect.  
  
Self-worth.  
  
Snorting, he shook his head and took another unsteady step, his equilibrium not what it should have been at the moment.  
  
Wine, women, and song...it had been somewhat of a way of life for him...once.   
  
Well, maybe the wine and women part of it, he thought wryly, wrinkling his nose a little in distaste at the 'song' part. He didn't really like to sing outside of the shower, something connected with a bad memory.  
  
One of many he couldn't recall clearly at the moment, mostly due to the haze of alcohol clouding his senses.  
  
"Yohji-kun! What are you doing?"  
  
Startled out of his reverie, he looked up to see a young boy in his late teens coming towards him, an irritated scowl on his face. Large blue eyes were narrowed in equal parts annoyance and concern, mouth drawn up in a tight line.  
  
Shrugging to himself, he brought the nearly empty bottle to his lips and tipped his head back, green eyes sagging shut as the alcohol burned its way down his throat.   
  
"Yohji-kun?"  
  
The hand holding the bottle dropped to his side abruptly, startling the boy hovering at his side.   
  
One green eye slitted open to focus on him, taking in the boy's anxious expression. There was something about those eyes that nagged at him...something important...  
  
"Yohji-kun, what are you doing?" The boy repeated, his voice tight with worry.  
  
"Wine doesn't work anymore." He said; forehead furrowed as he took painstaking care to enunciate his words clearly.  
  
The boy's eyes narrowed further, familiar with the older man's drunken behavior.   
  
"It's not enough anymore, Omittchi. Not even the women do anything anymore."  
  
For a moment it looked as though the boy were about to say something scathing, but closed his mouth as he thought better of it. Taking the bottle from suddenly lax fingers, Omi scanned the label, eyes widening slightly.  
  
"Yohji-kun...did you drink all of this tonight?" He asked slowly, an unpleasant feeling forming in his stomach.  
  
Squinting at the boy, he shook off his darker thoughts as some perverse part of him found the scowl on his face unbelievably..._cute_.   
  
"Yohji-kun!" Omi snapped, shifting uneasily as Yohji continued to stare at him with an unnerving smile plastered on his face.  
  
Holding his hands before his face, the older man muttered to himself as he began ticking off a mental list. Omi watched with mounting irritation as the fingers of the first hand closed into a fist, quickly followed by the second.  
  
Grinning brightly, Yohji leaned down until he was eye-to-eye with him.  
  
"Nope! Three of them!" He crowed in triumph, reaching out to pinch Omi's cheeks as the boy's scowl deepened.  
  
Catching the older man's hand in his own before it reached his face, he sighed.   
  
"Yohji-kun...come on." He said, tugging the older man with him.  
  
Yohji did as he was told, content to let Omi drag him along.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
TBC...  
  
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Erm...yeah. Like I said, I've not been getting much sleep lately. >_  
  



	2. Ken!

Ack...sorry about that...for some reason ff.net decided to cut off most of this part when I uploaded it. Hopefully this time it'll let me load the whole thing. Sorry about the confusion everyone. _;;

~silvershadeus~  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Weiß Kreuz or the song 'Perfect Day' by Roxette - I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
  
Feedback, onegai! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author: silvershadeus  
Email: silvershadeus@yahoo.com  
Title: Perfect Day  
Type: Series [2/?]  
Teaser: Yohji's drunk, and Omi finds him...   
Rating: G...for now...>_  
Spoilers: none...  
Warning: Possible shounen ai later on  
Keywords: Drunken Yohji, Omi, Ken...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Perfect Day - Part 2  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey now -  
It seems you've always  
Touched me like the sun.  
  
There's no escape for the broken-hearted,  
There's no return once you've lost your way.  
  
~_Perfect Day_~ Roxette

Poking his head into the kitchen as he heard the rattling of dishes, Ken couldn't quite hide the smile that made it to his lips. Omi, with a very put out expression on his face, was peeking into the cupboard over the sink, having to stand on tiptoe to do so. Shaking his head as his smile widened, Ken hoped Omi would hit his next growth spurt soon...  
  
"What are you looking for, Omi?"   
  
Omi turned, a tiny scowl on his face as he watched Ken cross the room to the fridge.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Ken blinked, sticking his head up over the open fridge door at Omi's abrupt answer. Taking a closer look, Ken's eyes narrowed as a wave of anger washed over him. There were dark circles under Omi's eyes this morning, and his skin was paler than normal. The worst of it though, Ken realized with dismay, were Omi's eyes. Normally a brilliant shade of deep blue, they were dull and shadowed. Haunted, almost.   
  
Yohji.  
  
It had to be. The older man had been more depressed lately, sinking into one of his periodical funks and consequently dragging Omi down with him.   
  
_Doesn't that idiot know what he's doing? Every time he does this, it kills Omi a little more inside. Is he _blind?  
  
But no, Yohji probably didn't realize what he was doing. For someone who could be amazingly observant at times, Yohji was also incredibly talented at failing to see the obvious. It might have been funny, if not for the fact that Omi was suffering because of it.  
  
"He went out again last night, didn't he."  
  
He didn't make it a question, and both of them knew which 'he' Ken was referring to.   
  
"Yes."  
  
Straightening, Ken leaned on the fridge door, forcing Omi to make eye contact. He hated it when Omi refused to meet his eyes, and he hated it when Yohji was the cause behind it.  
  
"He got drunk again."  
  
Omi shuffled his feet uncomfortably, his eyes darting away form Ken's nervously.   
  
"Yes." He answered, his voice barely a whisper.  
  
Ken sighed, running a hand through his hair. Why did Omi feel he was responsible for Yohji? It wasn't his fault the older man had a self-destructive streak a mile wide when the mood suited him. It wasn't his fault that Yohji was so stuck on what he'd lost that he couldn't see what he had. It...it just wasn't his fault. That was all. Not his fault, and definitely not his responsibility.   
  
"Omi..." He stopped, unsure of what he should say.  
  
The look on Omi's face nearly broke his heart. It was obvious he was expecting some kind of lecture to leave well enough alone. That Yohji was an adult and certainly didn't need Omi looking after him. That Omi was stupid for doing so, time after time, only getting himself hurt in the process.  
  
Taking in the definitely stubborn look in Omi's eyes, the defiant set to his jaw, Ken felt some of his anger drain away. Nothing he could say would change anything. That was just how Omi was. Stubborn and loyal, almost to a fault.   
  
"Where is he now?"  
  
Ken almost smiled as Omi stared at him, eyes wide.   
  
"Ken-kun?"  
  
One corner of Ken's mouth twitched upwards slightly at the worried tone in Omi's voice. No doubt thinking Ken was about to do something he shouldn't.   
  
_Like pounding some sense into that idiot's thick skull._ He thought grimly.  
  
"I just want to talk to him, Omi. That's all."  
  
"Just talk, right?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
Omi's expression lightened visibly, a look of clear relief flitting through his eyes.  
  
"He's in my room...he didn't quite make it to his..."  
  
Of course. After all, Omi's room was closer to the door than Yohji's. Most likely, Omi had managed to get him that far before Yohji passed out.  
  
"Still sleeping it off, huh?"   
  
Omi nodded, not meeting his eyes.  
  
"He drank a lot last night...I think he'll be out of it for a while."  
  
Tugging absently on his bangs, Ken realized that of all of them, Omi would know best. After all, he was the one who took care of Yohji whenever he managed to get himself into a state like that. He probably knew to the exact moment when Yohji would wake from his alcohol-induced sleep.   
  
"That can wait for later. Did you eat anything yet?" He asked, ducking back down to survey the contents of the fridge.  
  
Knowing Omi, he hadn't even thought of eating breakfast yet, worried as he was over Yohji. And he'd barely eaten anything at dinner the night before, fretting over Yohji after the older blonde had rushed through the kitchen on his way out last night.   
  
"...No."  
  
Sighing, Ken shook his head and stood up, closing the fridge door. Omi blinked at him in surprise as he strode over to him. Looking down at him, Ken shook his head slowly, a sad smile on his lips. Omi was Omi, and nothing was going to change that.   
  
"Come on."  
  
"Ken-kun?"  
  
Walking over to where their coats hung by the door, Ken grabbed his jacket, handing Omi's out to him.   
  
"Breakfast, my treat." He said, opening the door.  
  
Giving him a slightly confused look, Omi pulled his own jacket on and followed, casting one last glance over his shoulder as Ken shut the door behind them.   
  
Gritting his teeth, he slung an arm around Omi's shoulders, gently leading him away from the building and down the street. His first priority was getting some food into Omi. Ken's eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
_Then_ he would deal with Yohji.   
  
  
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TBC...

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	3. Morning after

An attack of insomnia, Roxette, and those yummy little Werther's candies, and I feel like some Yohji angst. What does that say about me as a person, I wonder? >_  
  
This fic's almost finished, just another part or two...depends on how agreeable the muses feel, and how much Ken yells at Yohji, I guess. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Weiß Kreuz or the song 'Perfect Day' by Roxette - I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
  
Feedback, onegai! ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author: silvershadeus  
Email: silvershadeus@yahoo.com  
Title: Perfect Day  
Type: Series [3/?]  
Teaser: Yohji's drunk, and Omi finds him...   
Rating: PG...mild language  
Spoilers: none...  
Warning: Possible shounen ai later on  
Keywords: Drunken Yohji, Omi, Ken...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Perfect Day - Part 3**

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I say a prayer now  
Our love's departed  
That you'll come back to stay  
And bring the perfect day.  
Blinded by a crazy light  
I fell into the darkest night.  
Those magic ties, the two of us,  
I couldn't see it turn to dust.  
  
~_Perfect Day_~ Roxette

Feeling very much as though Schuldig had just played merry hell with the contents of his head, Yohji reluctantly opened his eyes. He was expecting to be blinded by sunlight coming through his bedroom window. Surprised when he was met with the gloomy darkness of an unlit room, it took a moment for recognition to sink in.   
  
Omi's room. He was in Omi's room.   
  
Since it hurt far too much to think at the moment, he settled back against he headboard, drawing his knees up as he did so. Almost as an afterthought, he pulled the blanket up higher around himself. Omi's room was always cooler than any of the others, something having to do with the poor heating in the building and the fact that his room never got direct sunlight.   
  
Grimacing, Yohji tried to remember exactly what he'd been doing last night to deserve the foul taste in his mouth and raging headache. Glancing down at himself, he smiled wryly. He was wearing a dark blue button oxford shirt, and black jeans. Not his usual clubbing attire, so it meant he'd probably gone out last night in order to get himself suitably drunk. He'd had to explain it to Aya once, when the redhead had unbent enough to ask why Yohji hadn't spent hours primping in front of the bathroom mirror one night.  
  
Kudou Yohji had two sets of clothing in the back of his closet that were solely for his personal night adventuring. One was full of simple button down shirts, faded jeans and the occasional sweater. Cottons and natural fibers, for the most part. These were his 'single guy going out to drown his misery in alcohol' clothes. The other set was composed of butter soft leather, gleaming vinyl, and synthetic fabrics. All designed to reveal as much flesh as possible while still being considered barely legal. Those were his 'I know I'm sexy, what's your name?' clothes.  
  
The fact that he wore the former more often than not lately should have set off some kind of warning bell in the back of his mind. For some reason, he found that he didn't particularly care. It was all the same in the end, anyway. Go to a bar, get drunk. Go to a club, pick up a woman, get drunk. He always woke up flat broke, hung over, and feeling like shit.  
  
He was lucky if he even made it home sometimes.   
  
Yohji's eyes widened slightly as he ran that little thought back through his mind. When had he started thinking of his apartment above the flower shop as home? He certainly hadn't a few months ago, so what had happened to change that? The fact that it was the place he usually tried to aim for after a night of drunken debauchery didn't make it home. Carrier pigeons flew to places they knew by heart, but it didn't make it home. Just a place they knew to go.  
  
Strays would keep coming back if you fed them or showed them a little kindness, and in a way, so did he. So was he just some kind of mangy stray that didn't know any better? Did he just come back time after time for scraps of warmth and glimpses of what might have been? He knew he wasn't mistaking the genuine affection between Omi and Ken. Those two acted like they were long lost brothers sometimes. And then there was Aya.   
  
He was like the cool older brother...the one you kind of looked up to, but prayed to God he didn't notice you looking. The kind of person you secretly admired, but would die of embarrassment if they knew you did. The three of them had formed a neat little family unit. Even if Aya was a bit prickly sometimes.  
  
So where did he fit in? Sometimes he didn't think he did. But if that were true, then why did he keep coming back? He should know better by now, shouldn't he? If he were welcome or not. He should know that much, shouldn't he?  
  
Groaning, Yohji wrapped his arms around his drawn up legs, resting his chin on his knees. His headache was only getting worse, but he couldn't seem to stop. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he should have known...only he didn't. He didn't understand how he was supposed to fit in wither the others. He didn't know who he was supposed to be around them. Acting like a playboy only seemed to annoy the others, but he didn't know what else to do. What else he should do.   
  
It just seemed the way to be. Act like you were God's gift to women, and people would like you for it. They'd take one look at your face and never want to see what was behind it. People wouldn't care, as long as you looked good. People looked at you as something more than a scruffy little kid trying to act like a grownup. People paid attention to you. People _noticed_ you.  
  
Not always the right people, but it was something. Better than being a nameless face in the crowd. Better than being forgotten.   
  
Sighing, Yohji buried his face in his knees, just wanting to block everything out, if only for a little bit. The drinking helped, but he knew it wasn't going to work forever. He'd had to switch from wine to something harder a while ago. It was only a matter of time before nothing else worked. Maybe his liver would go first though. That was always a possibility. Then at least he wouldn't have to worry about where he fit in anymore.   
  
Laughing bitterly, he didn't hear the soft knock on the door. Wiping his eyes on the blanket covering his knees, he didn't see the door open.   
  
"Yohji?"  
  
Looking up in surprise, Yohji hissed between clenched teeth as colored whorls sprang up in his field of vision, his head feeling like it was going to explode. Squeezing his eyes shut, Yohji hugged his knees, rocking back and forth a little as he waited for the pain to subside. He could hear Ken calling his name in a worried tone of voice, but it sounded distant and far away.  
  
Eventually, the pain faded and cautiously cracked first one, then the other eye open to see Ken watching him with a worried look o his face. Loosening his hold on his legs, Yohji leaned back against headboard, forcing his muscles to relax, one by one. He could still feel the dull ache behind his eyes, but it seemed to be under control at the moment.  
  
"Yohji? Are you all right? You don't look too good...I got you some asprin, if that will help any."  
  
Gratefully accepting the proffered medicine, Yohji regarded Ken through narrowed eyes. He was being unusually nice to him at the moment. Normally, Ken didn't have any patience for 'thickheaded idiots who tried to drink their body weight in alcohol.' Either he wanted something from Yohji, or the asprin was really poison. Or maybe both. Ken could be surprisingly sneaky he wanted to be, and he held grudges like no one else. Even Aya.  
  
"Why are you being so nice to me, Ken?"  
  
Wincing as Yohji's voice came out as a dry croak, Ken smiled. It wasn't a pleasant kind of smile.  
  
"I just want to make sure you're not going to die on me while I have a little talk with you."  
  
Deciding that he didn't like the nasty little smile playing about on Ken's lips _or_ his tone of voice, Yohji swallowed the asprin.  
  
"Should I be hoping that was poison?"  
  
Ken's smile widened.  
  
"Probably."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC... 

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	4. Now with Aya! ^_^;;

Look! Aya's in this part! ^_^

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**Perfect Day - Part 4**

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Breathe some faith into my chest.  
Lay me down,  
I need the rest.  
Ever since the sky turned gray  
I've waited for the perfect day.  
  
~_Perfect Day_~ Roxette

"So now what?"   
  
Ken tipped his head to the side, regarding Yohji through narrowed eyes. There were shadows in Yohji's eyes, and Ken sighed inwardly at the sight. Things would have been a lot easier if he could have just yelled at Yohji for being an ass. Not to mention a whole lot more satisfying.  
  
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Omi."   
  
Looking around the room as though he expected to find the younger blonde there, Yohji finally turned back to look at Ken.   
  
"Where is he?"  
  
Ken smiled at the concern he heard in Yohji's voice.   
  
"Aya's...borrowing him for a little while."  
  
"What?" Yohji asked, frowning at Ken's reply. Usually Ken was a bit more...well, at least he made sense most of the time.   
  
Instead of answering right away, Ken walked over to Omi's desk and dragged the computer chair over to the side of the bed. Sitting down, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  
  
"I asked Aya to keep Omi busy while I came up here to talk to you. He's probably helping with the inventory or something else in the shop."  
  
"But isn't today Omi's day off?"  
  
Ken raised an eyebrow at that. Apparently, the effects of the hang over were starting to fade, if Yohji was able to remember that. Maybe it would make things easier.  
  
"It's Omi." He said, knowing that that was all the explanation he needed.   
  
Sighing, Yohji realize Ken had a point. Omi was like that. He'd give up his day off if anyone asked him to, and sometimes even if they didn't. And he wouldn't expect anything in return...it baffle Yohji, how anyone could be that generous.   
  
"But you know what, Yohji? I think I've changed my mind. There are other things I want to talk to you about. Things that have been bothering me for a while now."   
  
Yohji watched him warily, green eyes narrowed. Ken had that look in his eyes that said he wasn't going to go away until he had some answers. Yohji hated that look. Especially when it was directed at him.  
  
"What's up with you, Yohji? You've been going out more and more lately, and acting like nothing outside of the missions has anything to do with you."   
  
Yohji snorted, tearing his gaze away from Ken's. Running his fingers over the patterns in the blanket, Yohji smiled bitterly to himself. Since when had anything other than the missions involved him? When did the others ever want anything to do with him when killing wasn't involved? When did they ever go to him for advice? When did -   
  
"Why did you go out last night, Yohji?" Ken asked softly.  
  
Yohji shrugged. Why did he ever go out? To forget.  
  
"It looked like you three were going to be busy with whatever it is you do. I...I didn't want to get in the way."  
  
Ken blinked.   
  
"You didn't want to... Yohji, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
Yohji looked up sharply, green eyes flashing with anger. So Ken was playing stupid, was he? Fine. He could deal with that.  
  
"I don't know, Ken, what do you think it means? It's pretty obvious to me that I'm just an extra body around here. You only need me for the missions, and even then I'm not so sure that's true."   
  
Ken fought the urge to deck Yohji. It would have made him feel better, but somehow he didn't think it would make the right impression on Yohji. Running a hand through his hair, Ken studied at the older man closely. He had to be careful with what he said next, that much was clear.   
  
"Yohji...you're an idiot."  
  
Yohji just stared at him. It wasn't what Ken had said, so much as the way he said it. There had been warmth and affection in his voice...for _him._  
  
"Do you honestly think we feel that way about you, Yohji? Do you think we wouldn't notice, or _care_ if you were gone?"   
  
He didn't have an answer for that one.   
  
"Yohji...do you know why we never ask you to do things with us?"  
  
"I have a feeling you're going to tell me." Yohji said dryly, a humorless smirk gracing his lips.  
  
"We never ask you, because you're always busy. You're either out on a date, or out clubbing to _get_ a date. We never thought you'd _want_ to do things with us. You never seemed to want to."  
  
Picking at a loose thread on the blanket covering his legs, Yohji didn't look up.  
  
"You never asked."  
  
Ken winced, hearing the pain in Yohji's voice. Leaning forward, he willed the other man to look at him.  
  
"Yohji, when did you ever give us a chance to? You acted like you didn't need us...what were we supposed to do? What were we supposed to think?"

**********

Glancing down at the clipboard in his hands, Omi couldn't make sense of what exactly it was he was looking at. There were numbers squeezed into the margins, but the rest was an illegible mess. Nothing but lines and unintelligible squiggles. The smiley faces scribbled along the bottom of the page seemed to be mocking him.   
  
Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and wondered why he'd given in to that little voice in his head. Wondered why he hadn't just said 'No,' when Aya had asked him to lend a hand. He'd more than earned his day off, they all knew that. And yet, here he was, standing in the back room of the flower shop unable to make heads or tails of the inventory list.  
  
Heaving another sigh, he walked out into the front of the store, flashing Aya an absent smile as he pulled up a chair at the table. Setting the clipboard down he glared at it, as though it would make Ken's handwriting any more legible. Resting his elbows on the table, he idly flipped through the first few pages of the inventory list.  
  
And as though that wasn't enough, Ken himself had disappeared a while ago, presumably to have his little talk with Yohji.   
  
Groaning, Omi dropped his head into his hands staring blankly at the table. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Couldn't something in his life ever be simple for once? Couldn't he go through just one day without wondering if maybe something was his fault, because he hadn't caught it earlier? Because he hadn't recognized the warning signs?  
  
"Omi?"  
  
Looking up, Omi was surprised to see Aya standing next to him, a worried look in his eyes. And then felt ashamed that he'd been surprised by it. He knew Aya was every bit as human as he was; he was just better at hiding his feelings.   
  
Smiling tentatively, Omi ran a hand through his hair nervously. Aya had that effect on him sometimes, when it felt like he was focusing all of his attention solely on him.   
  
Maybe it was because Aya seemed to be so indifferent most of the time that actually having his full attention could be unnerving. Or maybe it was because you knew that Aya was paying attention to you, and something like that made you realize that he _trusted_ you. That he trusted you enough to care about what you were thinking. What you were feeling. That he trusted you enough to actually care about you, and maybe for you to care about him in return.  
  
"Aya..."  
  
Tilting his head to the side, Aya waited patiently for Omi to organize his thoughts. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the same things in Omi's eyes that Ken had earlier. Things that had no business being there. It was just as well that Ken had decided to confront Yohji about things when he had, Aya was tempted to have a word or two with the older man himself.   
  
"It's just...Aya, why does everything have to be so difficult all the time? I don't understand."  
  
Setting the watering can he'd been holding down, Aya shifted his gaze towards the front door as he thought over Omi's question. There were an infinite number of ways to answer that question, but only a few would have made any sense to Omi at the moment. It would have been both condescending and unfair of him to mouth that platitude that parents seemed to hide behind, simply because it made their lives easier: "You'll understand when you're older"  
  
Snorting softly, Aya glanced back down to see that Omi was watching him thoughtfully. Waiting to see what answer Aya would have for him. Waiting to see which answer Aya would choose.   
  
"I don't know."  
  
Omi blinked slowly at his response, a puzzled frown on his face.   
  
One corner of Aya's mouth twitched upwards at the sight, the look in his eyes softening a little.  
  
"That's just how life is, Omi. One obstacle after another. You either get through them...or you don't. It's that simple."  
  
"But..."  
  
_But what if you can't, Aya? What if you get stuck? What if something holds you back? What then? What happens then, Aya? What happens when you get left behind?  
  
_"That's where your friends come in." Aya said quietly, something in his eyes saying what he couldn't find the words to say.  
  
Omi smiled when he saw it, and he thought maybe he understood a little bit more about Aya, and maybe himself as well.

**********

Yohji stared at Ken in shock.  
  
"Wha... What?"  
  
Shaking his head, Ken reached forward and caught Yohji's face in his hands.  
  
"You acted like the last thing you ever wanted was to be around us when you didn't need to be. We did the only thing we thought we could...we tried to stay away from you. Tried to give you your space. We didn't like it, but we did what we thought you wanted."  
  
"'What you thought I wanted?'" Yohji repeated numbly, pulling free of Ken's hold.   
  
Was that what they'd been doing? Had they all so completely misunderstood each other that badly? Was it even possible?  
  
A look into Ken's eyes, and the regret that filled them was all the answer he needed to know that there was nothing he could say to that. What was there to say? All the pain and bitterness he'd felt was due to a simple, stupid misunderstanding. Who could he blame for it? _ Should_ he blame someone for it?  
  
"So now what?" Yohji asked after a long moment, "What do we do now? Do I apologize to you, or do you apologize to me? Or do we both apologize to each other? I'm not familiar with this kind of thing, so you're going to have to coach me on it, Ken."  
  
"I think...maybe we both apologize to Omi." Ken said finally, a rueful smile tugging at his lips.   
  
"I don't...Ken, what are you talking about?"   
  
Sighing, Ken leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Yohji a _look_.  
  
"Yohji, don't tell me you haven't noticed. You can't be that unobservant, even drunk off your ass. _Especially_ drunk off your ass."  
  
It would have been so easy to pretend he had absolutely no idea what Ken was talking about. It would have been so easy...and that was what decided him. That fact that it would have been so easy.   
  
"I don't know how, but he just _knows_ those kinds of things, Ken. It's like we're all wearing signs that say 'Fix Us'. And I...I just don't want him to be the person who has to do that for me. He doesn't need my problems on top of his own. He...he just doesn't need it."  
  
Ken smiled slightly, though it didn't make it to his eyes.  
  
"Maybe he wants to be that person for you, Yohji. Did you ever think of that?"  
  
"But...but _why?_ Why me? Why would he want to do something like that for _me?_"  
  
"I don't have the answer for that one, Yohji. Maybe you should ask Omi. It's that, or risk another misunderstanding...and I really don't think you want that with him, do you?"  
  
_Not with so much at risk. Not this time. Not this time, no._  
  
Watching the play of emotions on Yohji's face, Ken smiled to himself, although it was not without a tinge of regret. They'd all made mistakes in dealing with each other. Had made the wrong assumptions, because they'd been too afraid to look further. They'd been too secure in their roles to want to change things. But watching Yohji, Ken knew that this time things _ would_ be different.  
  
Things weren't going to be perfect between the four of them, their personalities were too different for something like that...but Ken doubted there ever was such a thing as perfection. And if there was, it wasn't a place for them. They had their flaws, their faults, and their odd little quirks...but they also had each other to compensate for all of their imperfections.   
  
_Maybe this time things will go right. Maybe now...maybe now we can try to be that family we never had._

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A/N: Just one more part to go...^_^;;


	5. Ta-da! It's done!

Well, it's finally finished. Yay! Um, yeah. Thank you to everyone who read and commented on this fic, and many thanks for being so patient with me when I had writer's block and left things unresolved. 

Anyway, thank you everyone!

~silvershadeus~  


Disclaimer: I do not own Weiß Kreuz; I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.

Feedback, onegai! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Perfect Day - Part 5**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Hey now -  
It seems you've always  
Touched me like the sun.  
  
There's no escape for the broken-hearted,  
There's no return once you've lost your way._

~_Perfect Day_~ Roxette 

There was nothing more awkward than having to admit what an ass you'd been to someone. Well, perhaps there were one or two things, but in his current state of mind, Yohji wasn't quite able to remember what they were. He could felt the answer fluttering about in the back of his mind like a trapped moth, but the haze of a hangover subdued by asprin kept it at bay.   
  
Standing at the back entrance to the main room of the flower shop, Yohji watched as Omi walked around the displays, checking things off of a clipboard he held. Aya stood as resolute as ever behind the cash register, violet eyes tracking his younger teammate's movements.  
  
Sighing, Yohji pushed his sunglasses higher up on his nose, and then stopped as he realized what he was doing. A glance down at himself only served to confirm it.  
  
He was dressed in a long-sleeved sweater and loose jeans, his favorite pair of sunglasses stylishly perched on his nose.   
  
And he knew why, too. It was like his version of armor. This way he felt more secure, knowing that there were no revealing bits of his body showing that would perhaps make him appear weak in the eyes of his opponent. Which was almost funny, considering just who his 'opponent' at the moment was. The sunglasses served a dual purposed this time around, however. Not only did they block out the blinding spears of light that his eyes just couldn't seem to handle at the moment, they hid his eyes.  
  
He'd always been told that the eyes were the key in getting to understand a person. Learn to read them, and you would understand how someone thought, and maybe even a little bit of why they thought the way they did. It was why he wore sunglasses when he felt uncertain or didn't want others to know what he was thinking.  
  
Sighing again, he pulled his sunglasses off and folded them, holding them in his hands as though they were a lifeline to a drowning man. While removing them had been a step in the right direction, he was not quite ready to totally relinquish his hold on them. For the illusion of security and privacy they offered him, if nothing else.  
  
In theory, it should have been simple.   
  
All he had to do was walk up to Omi and apologize. He knew he would be forgiven, but he wasn't so sure that he deserved it. Omi was like that; always ready to forgive almost any hurt done to him in the name of friendship.   
  
For someone as young as he was, Omi had managed to grasp the concept of friendship and forgiveness more fully than any other person Yohji had ever known. It was hard to believe that someone with a past like Omi's would even be able to comprehend what those things were, let alone gain such a total understanding of them.  
  
This, of course, only made what Yohji knew he had to do even harder. He didn't just want Omi's forgiveness; he wanted to know that he had earned it, even if it took the rest of his life. Which probably wouldn't be all that long, considering the glare Aya was giving him...   
  
A quiet cough from behind him alerted Yohji to Ken's presence, and when he glanced over his shoulder he scowled at the little smirk the younger man was giving him. Ken winked and pushed past Yohji, carrying one of his soccer balls under one arm.   
  
"Ne, Aya, I'm taking off for a while. Want to come with me? Sayako's been asking after you again, she's fascinated with your hair."  
  
Violet eyes slid over to Ken, something flitting through them so fast that Yohji wasn't sure he'd seen it. Ever since Aya had reluctantly accompanied Ken on one of his days off to play soccer with the neighborhood kids, he'd been all but adopted by them.   
  
The mere thought of which normally amused Yohji to no end. It was hard enough picturing Aya unbendiung enough to actually join Ken on one of his outings, but having screaming toddlers hanging off of him and calling him 'niichan' was too much, even for him.  
  
"Aa."  
  
Worrying at a scratch on the soccer ball as he crossed the room, Ken glanced back at Yohji, well aware that Omi was watching the three of them while trying not to look like he was.   
  
It was an indication of just how off-balance Omi must have been feeling, for Ken to catch him eavesdropping like that. Omi had a talent for melting into the background and going unnoticed that none of them could match. It was why he so often did the reconnaissance and information gathering for their missions.   
  
Shrugging it off for the moment, Ken put some faith in Yohji, trusting in the older man to put what he'd done wrong right. It was the only way they'd be able to live semi-normal lives.   
  
"Since Yohji's feeling better and it's been a slow day, he volunteered to cover for us." Ken added, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Yohji.  
  
If he hadn't been paying attention, Yohji would have missed the way one corner of Aya's mouth curved upwards in the barest hint of a smile.   
  
Smirking at the look on Yohji's face, Ken held the door open for Aya as the redhead untied his apron and placed it on its hook. He took a moment to give Yohji a look that Yohji knew better than to cross.  
  
The bell over the front door of the shop jingled merrily as the door clicked shut after Ken and Aya, leaving him alone in the shop with Omi and his guilt.  
  
The younger blonde was avoiding his eyes, the pen in his hand unsteady. He was trying to hide it by resting the clipboard on a cleared space on a metal display stand, but Yohji saw it. It was hard not to.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Omi's head snapped up at the whispered apology, blue eyes wide. There was a haunted look in them, and Yohji damned himself for being the cause of it. He knew, they all knew, how much Omi had gone through, and he was stupid enough to add to the weight on Omi's shoulders.   
  
"I'm so sorry, Omi. I never realized." The words were easier now that he'd started, and he felt his unease melt away. "I haven't known many people who cared about me or what I did one way or other. I should have known, after everything you've done for me. The way you make sure I get home safely when I'm drunk. When you'd cover my shift because I was too hung over to see straight."  
  
There were a million other things Omi had done for him. Tiny things, on the face of it, that added up to something more that Yohji had somehow failed to notice before. Perhaps he'd simply taken them for granted, or perhaps he hadn't wanted to see what was happening. It was so easy to let himself get bogged down in the past until the present didn't matter anymore.  
  
He couldn't say that, couldn't say how sorry he was because he didn't have the words. 'I'm sorry' was painfully inadequate, and he knew it, but there was no other way to say it. He could drop to his knees and grovel shamelessly in front of Omi, and still it wouldn't be enough. Never enough.  
  
Omi was one of the few things in his life that hadn't tried to hurt him in some way. Who hadn't demanded something of him in return for a favor. Who was always there willing to listen, if Yohji would let him. Who never complained, never asked for anything when he himself was hurting.   
  
Setting his pen down, Omi finally met his eyes, blue eyes flicking over Yohji's face almost desperately. There was something to it that shook Yohji to his core, the way Omi's eyes seemed to see right through him, as though gauging his sincerity.  
  
It was the same look Omi had given him the day they'd met, sizing him up. Checking to see if he would be someone that Omi could rely on when the bullets started flying. Someone he could trust, and it tore at Yohji's heart to see that look again. It meant that he had failed Omi. It meant that somewhere along the line Omi had lost his trust in him. Lost his faith in Yohji as a human being. As someone he could care for and who would care for him in return.  
  
"Why?"  
  
It was a ragged whisper, all that Omi was capable of at the moment.  
  
Yohji frowned, green eyes narrowed thoughtfully.  
  
"Why what? Why am I apologizing, or why did I suddenly realize what an ass I've been?"  
  
Omi's eyes darkened, wary now of the almost flippant tone in Yohji's voice. He used it whenever he was trying to hide something, when he felt that he needed to protect himself from being hurt. When he was trying to keep someone from seeing too much.  
  
"Both."  
  
Yohji sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as the headache started up again, pulsing in time to his heartbeat.  
  
"Because Ken's smarter than he looks."  
  
Omi's eyes narrowed, definitely not satisfied by Yohji's answer. He new the older man was still hiding, even if he wasn't aware of it.  
  
"Ken and I had a little talk, and he made me realize a few things that I hadn't before."  
  
Omi crossed his arms, a defensive posture that Yohji was quick to make a note of. If Omi felt he was on the defensive in this situation, things could go badly if he handled it wrong. That thought suddenly made everything that much more complicated.   
  
"Omi...why did you go looking for me last night?"  
  
Blue eyes widened, then darted away from him.  
  
"Because I was worried."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Omi looked up at him, an incredulous expression on his face, in his eyes.   
  
"Because you're my friend, Yohji. I worry about you. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
Yohji smiled, something in his chest twisting at Omi's quiet admission.   
  
"I'm sorry, Omi. If I'd been half the friend you are, I wouldn't have made you worry. I'm sorry."  
There they were again, those words that could mean everything, and nothing. The words that he had said so rarely in his life. He'd never before felt the need to apologize for anything. Never in life had wanted to apologize for his behavior. Never in his life had ever felt that anyone deserved such a thing from him.  
  
Until now.  
  
He waited as the silence built up around them, laced with tension. He waited, would have waited, forever if that was what it took to make up for what he'd done.  
  
"Yohji."  
  
Looking up, he barely caught the clipboard that flew thought the air towards him before it could hit his chest. The pen followed a similar trajectory before he caught it mid-flight.   
  
"You can finish up doing the inventory. I'll go over the receipts." Omi said, moving towards the counter.  
  
Yohji smiled, something in his chest loosening.  
  
It wasn't the unconditional forgiveness he'd been half-expecting, but this was better somehow. It meant that Omi was still upset with him, that he hadn't been able to completely forgive him. It meant that Omi wasn't taking the blame into himself this time. It meant that perhaps, somewhere along the road Omi would be able to forgive him, and perhaps he could even forgive himself in time.   
  



End file.
